Vedanta Retreat notes

DESIREà DECIDEàDESIGNàDESERVE

One way to keep brain activated is through learning new languages

Most believe we need to have some dramatic cause underlying behind dramatic effect. This is NOT TRUE

Mind and Intellect – does not have a form only function – just like software

MIND	INTELLECT
Feelings	Thinks
Emotions	Discriminates
Impulses	Judges
Likes and Dislikes	Reasons
Desires	Analyses
Indecisive	Decides
Sporadic thoughts	Deliberate thoughts
Pattern Making	Pattern breaking
Operates with known	Probes with unknown
Compulsive Thinking	Conscious thinking

Indiscriminate flow of thoughts= MIND

Discriminated flow of thoughts= INTELLECT

Vedanta preaches to produce the effect and cause will be followed.

Example: be happy –cause for happiness will follow

Ignorance of things make them look mystical.

Learn to live life by thinking alone

Living – desires and values

Desires – primary ( present in everyone ) and secondary ( depend on situation- stimulus based)

Desires by nature are always conflicting in nature.

Primary Desires

For Bodily comfort

For a Sense of security

To be Noticed and admired

Feel that one matters to somebody

To feel superior

For companionship and fellow feeling

To be like others of ones own “Set”

To be attractive

To look after and protect

To find out- discover- gratify curiosity

We always have dilemma between Good Vs Good and Bad Vs Bad

If one has Inferiority complex it is expressed as superiority

But this is not always the case and hence complex

Example

We usually associate with some charity… all acts of charity have root to feeling of superiority

EGO- cannot be seen by self mostly

Cause……….à………… Effect

We must put in efforts for Effects-----à--------Cause  cycle .  We don’t do this usually.

“Way to get anything is to lose it”

Always when planning a course of action –consider desire. When you are executing your plan keep aside desire.

Never bring in desires while performing action

Scriptures at 3 levels:

1.       Shruti- pure truths declared

2.       Smriti- explanation of the truths…. Influenced by time and place

3.       Puranas- telling stories to convey the message. Problem is usually the message gets lost in the story

Areas emotions influence:

-Selective perception

-choices

-language

- first reaction

Apply intellect when deciding on something but introduce emotion just before conclusion. Ex. Just like desert positioning in a full course meal.  This needs to be there to maintain humanity in decisions taken.

At level of perception don’t bring in emotions.

If a person is using more adjectives in speech he is using more emotions than intellect.

Emotions by itself are not a problem --- the manner in which they are expressed is the real culprit

Emotions coming out of DESIRE are always negative.

Expression cannot be classified as right or wrong  but appropriate or inappropriate

Don’t lose temper- use your temper

Any emotion stemming out of GRATITUDE is a positive Emotion

Keeping GRATITUDE as base, a feeling directed towards equal/lower object or being is LOVE

Feeling directed towards higher object or being is DEVOTION.

Synthesis of Thinking and Feeling only in positive emotion.

Positive emotion--- stems from—alertness—stems from—GRATITUDE—stems from—reading of scriptures(VALUES)

Knowledge does not help in living—we live life by wisdom

Sanyasi –one who has moved away from cursing and blessing

How to improve one’s intellect:

1.       Introspection/ Listen to live master/ reading ( less preferred as does not bring in conviction)

2.       Retrospection

3.       Meditation ( last 10% associated to this)

Look at existing intellect available. ( introspection)

Simple exercise to start with : Before hitting bed run through the days activities

Do not while performing this activity:

-          Do not analyze your action

-          At no point move backward and forward . Go serially only from first to last activity of the day

-          Should not take more than 5 min

Practice at least for a month to see the effect

Path of spiritual growth –

1.       Monkey way – take complete responsibility

2.       Kitten way- don’t do anything

Till a certain level we need to be monkey type and then we switch to kitten type

Relationships

-only exists at thought level

3 most difficult statements in the world for people to say:

1.       I Love You

2.       I am Sorry

3.       I need Help

At one point of time we can manage at max 7 relationships on day to day basis.

Rational sufferance – most tough to do-

Go through the suffering of other person thinking one day other person will grow

Communication:

-          Don’t use many adjectives

-          Watch the tone

-          Use plain, direct and simple statements

LOVE	ATTACHMENT
Universal	Preferential
Unconditional	Conditional
Thankful for taking	Tallying accounts
Self sufficiency	Dependency
Freedom	Binding
Peaceful	Agitated
Evolve	Devolve
Things gain personality	Person becomes things
Irreplaceable	Replaceable
No Polarization	Swing to opposites

LOVE + SELFISHNESS= ATTACHMENT

ATTACHMENT- SELFISHNESS=LOVE

  

Foundation of Harmony:

-          Have a common goal

-          Respect others independence

-          Identification not attachment

-          Communication

-          Be suggestive not compelling

-          Familiar not vulgar

-          Rights vs Duties

-          Rational Sufferance

 Relationship Snags

-          Justified expectations

-          Want unconditional acceptance

-          Mind reading

-          Refuse and resist change

-          Law of distance

-          Want to change the other

-          Intentions justify actions

LADDER OF FALL

Indiscriminate thinking

 

Attachment

 

Desires

Fulfilled                                                              Unfulfilled

|                                                              |

|                                                              |

Fear, envy, greed, arrogance                                  Anger

Delusions

Loss of memory

Intellect Lost